Hermione: Greetings, peasants! It is currently a hot summer’s afternoon. Clara is sitting next to me playing with dominoes. I’ve spent most of today reading this absolutely fascinating book about English History (no joke—it’s a serious page-turner, and it’s nonfiction. I am quite proud of myself.) But we are going to take a wee break from these activities to blog a bit. And so today we will be talking about MOVIES. But also books. Clara, explain.

Clara: Um, so if you watch a particularly good movie, you might wish there was a book written about it. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true, but there are books that are similar to said movie. Hence this post: today we are going to recommend good books to read if you enjoyed a certain movie.

Hermione: Quite. So I’ll name a movie, and you recommend a couple of books, and then vice versa. If the reader is curious: all of these movie titles are being pulled right off our shelves, so it’s rather a random selection of films. If one of these movie is based off a book, it’s sort of a given that you should read that book, and we shall not be specifically recommending it. (Also, all the books have been linked back to Goodreads!) First movie: The Two Towers.

Hermione: Okay…so Austenland is a comedy…and a Jane Austen retelling…Honestly, I haven’t read any funny Jane Austen retellings—though I’m sure there’s many out there (like, haven’t the Elizabeth Bennet Diaries been made into a book? I’m sure that’s quite funny). So, I’m going to say Longbourn, because it is my favorite Jane Austen retelling, and then the Bella Kirkwood books, because it is one of the few series that has literally made me laugh out loud. Third movie: Rebel Without A Cause.

Clara: So I should start by saying I really hate that movie. James Dean really cannot act and I don’t understand why everyone likes him so much. Anyways, that movie embodied a generation, and so some books that also embodied a generation: The Catcher in the Rye, andGone With The Wind. Next movie: Dirty Dancing.

Clara: It’s funny, I like the idea of spy books but they can be rather confusing. Anyways, for some high-stakes novels with spy-ish content that I enjoyed: Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer (a whole series precious!!) and The Parsifal Mosaic. A quick word on Robert Ludlum (author of The Parsifal Mosaic and the Jason Bourne books): His action scenes are supreme, but his romances SUCK, so if you’re into that sort of thing, find another book.) Anyways, next up: Outlaw Trail.

Hermione: Wow, way to make it hard on me. So, Outlaw Trail is sort of this adventure flick/Western/treasure hunt set in the 1950’s… for books set in the 50’s that put a focus on relationships and drama, there is, of course, The Outsiders. As for Westerns, Vengeance Road (which I lowkey enjoyed in a 3-stars kind of way), and The Misadventures of Maude March (which is my favorite Western EVER and you absolutely MUST read it). Alright, Clara, your movie is: Frozen.

Clara: I’m going to go with a snow book. I guess I’ll go with Snow Like Ashes (which isn’t the best book in the world, but the main girl has Elsa-ish powers), and then The Forbidden Wish. This book isn’t about snow AT ALL—it’s actually an Aladdin retelling, but it does have magic and sisterhood, so there you go. Next movie: How to Train Your Dragon.

Hermione: When I think of How to Train Your Dragon, I think of Vikings and sass. Which is lovely, but I cannot think of any books containing either dragons OR sass that we haven’t already mentioned. (Seriously, WHENEVER I am asked to think of books I cannot remember any book that I have ever written…) OH NEVERMIND. The Percy Jackson Series, for the sass part, of course! Percy is probably distantly related to Hiccup anyway. And for Dragons…I like how the Dragons were portrayed in Seraphina, and Seraphina herself is one of my favorite heroines EVER, but I rather hesitate to recommend this one because the sequel gets…weird. But there you are. The Wilde Island books ( Dragon’s Keep, Dragonswood, In the Time of Dragon Moon) also take an interesting stance on dragons, and I’d recommend those for anyone looking for a solid, no-frills fantasy. Next movie: Star Trek.

Hermione: Ugh, NO. This movie is dull and full of cussing. Would you like me to recommend books full of cussing? Because I COULD. (Snow Falling On Cedars, Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, any John Green novel ever). But we shall not go there. {Though I do recommend Snow Falling on Cedars because it is gorgeously written, and has this sort of ethereal aura that just sticks with the reader.} Other aspects of Promised Land…Matt Damon??? If you like Matt Damon, read The Horn of Moran (because people who like Matt Damon are bound to be obsessed with honor.) I don’t know why. None of this makes sense. I just don’t really care for Matt Damon. I haven’t even read The Horn of Moran and I probably never will. CLARA. YOUR MOVE. High School Musical.

Hermione: OOooooh, I actually liked that film. I also really want to read the original play (by Tenessee Williams) that the movie was based off of. My favorite things about Cat On a Hot Tin roof are the interesting and well-developed characters and the way that the interpersonal conflict drives the plot. Some similar books are The Help, Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Have you read any of these books?? Seen any of the movies? What’s your favorite movie and what books would you recommend to go along with it? If you could be a movie star for a day or a year or a lifetime who would you be??? (Also, we FINALLY updated our About This Blog page, and so no longer does it contain the awkward lie of “We’ve only been blogging for a little while,” when we’ve actually been blogging for almost two years by now. WHAT. Where does the time go???)

This is so great! Love it! Dirty Dancing is the best. Have you guys ever read Marjorie Morningstar? Something about South Wind (the camp in the book) always gives me a Kellerman’s vibe. It’s one of my favorite books of all time!

I should watch some of these! I don’t watch movies all that often. The Lizzie Bennet diaries was turned into two books: The Secret Diary of Lizzie bennet (which is basically just a lot like the series, with a few bonus facts), and the Diary of Lydia bennet, which I haven’t read but I think is more of a spinoff. And there’s a lot of Pride and Prejudice retellings I haven’t read, such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.